During the installation process of modular panelboards, multiple panels are mounted on a steel rail or an alignment rail, and are electrically and mechanically coupled together to distribute electrical power for residential, industrial, and commercial applications. During this coupling process, installers must slide these modular units along the alignment rail or hang them from an alignment rail. Most modular panels comprise of a steel or metallic bracket or a mounting bracket which interfaces with the alignment rail. It has become an industry standard for both the alignment rail and the mounting bracket to be steel, however, other metallic alignment rail and mounting bracket can also be used. With this type of an installation system many problems arise, such as, for example, misalignment of the alignment rails, mismatch of the steel rail with an alignment rail, difficulty in installing and removing the modular panel board, to name a few. Another problem that one sees is the friction associated with having a metal-to-metal interface when sliding and/or installing heavy equipment along the alignment rail.
Thus, there is a need for a better process for mounting and removing modular panel boards from an alignment rail. One such solution is to have a quick roll mounting bracket of this invention secured to either the back of a modular panelboard or the face of the mounting surface where the modular panel board is to be securely installed.
The use of rollers has been used in the sliding door industry for the easy sliding of doors and doors on tracks, such as, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,593 (B. J. Helmick), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a supporting roller assembly for a sliding door has a downwardly spring loaded guide track engaging roller supported for vertical floating movement by a mounting bracket containing a limited stop plunger which is spring loaded downwardly against the roller carrier. The bracket is slotted and carries a clamp screw accessible from the side of the door for clamping the bracket firmly about the plunger to secure the plunger in a fixed position for limiting upward movement of the guide roller against the action of its spring.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,261 (Gerald Alan Hackstock), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a sliding door for a vehicle having an opening in at least one side thereof, the sliding door is connected to the vehicle for non-linear movement along a fixed path between an open position and a closed position with respect to the opening. The fixed path is defined by an upper guide track, a lower guide track, and an intermediate guide track. Each elongate guide track has an identical generally C-shaped cross-section with an elongate slot opening through a lower surface. At least one guide member is engagable within each track for guiding the sliding door while moving in either direction between the open position and the closed position with respect to the opening in the vehicle. Preferably, at least one load bearing roller is provided on each door mounting bracket, or at least two load bearing rollers are provided on two of the three door mounting brackets.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20080134583 (Doron Polus), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a non-hanging sliding door system includes a sliding door having an upper roller assembly disposed atop a portion of the door's frame, a channeled upper track configured to receive rollers of the upper roller assembly, a lower wheel assembly disposed at a bottom portion of the frame, and a guiding roller assembly. The lower wheel assembly includes a vertical spine having a transverse shaft, and a pair of sliding wheels that are rotatably coupled to the transverse shaft and are in direct contact with the ground without the need for a lower track. The guiding roller assembly includes one or more rollers that roll in frictional contact with the walls of a channel defined in the underside of the frame. The guiding roller assembly may be coupled either directly to the ground/floor below the door, or to a wall parallel to the door using a mounting bracket.
However, the panelboard industry has been using metal-to-metal interfaces for the installation of panelboards, and thus this invention improves on the deficiencies of the prior art and provides an inventive quick roll mounting bracket for modular panels.